Endorsing and resourcing the SDGs

Ryde resident Anna Barletta joined a group of passionate and committed volunteers from RESULTS International (Australia) in Canberra earlier this week.

The group of volunteers, from across all parts of Australia, travelled to Canberra to use their voices to influence policy makers urging them adopt, endorse and resource the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In late September, Australia will join with other world leaders to sign onto the Sustainable Development Goals.

These Goals are an opportunity for the world to combat key global challenges around poverty, environmental sustainability, health and inequity.

They are designed as a mechanism to help all nations end poverty, reduce inequity and sustain the environment to 2030.

Speaking about her first trip to Canberra to meet with over 26 Ministers and Senators, Anna said: “Not many people know about the great progress world leaders have made as they pursued the United Nations Millennium Development Goals between 200-2015.

“For example, extreme poverty was halved by 2010, the number of deaths from TB and malaria has significantly dropped and 91% of young children in developing countries are enrolled in primary school.”

The Sustainable Development Goals aim to finish the job the MDGs started and end extreme poverty by 2030.

To meet our commitments under these Goals, Australia, like all other countries, has been urged to align its domestic and international policies to this historic global agreement.

Volunteering with RESULTS International (Australia) since March 2015, Anna said: “In light of everything that is happening in our world including the current crisis in Syria it is important for me to express to my elected representatives in Parliament how lucky we are to be living in this safe and wealthy country and to give them a friendly reminder that we can afford to reach out to humanity.”

RESULTS International (Australia) volunteers receive training, support and inspiration to become skilled advocate sand in time learn to effectively guide policy makers toward decisions that enable access to health, education and economic opportunity.